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ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - COMPUTER SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
INTRODUCTION
Computer-supported collaborative learning is an emerging paradigm in the field of learning sciences. It is a collaborative learning style that involves the construction of knowledge by social interaction with peers in an online environment. It focuses heavily on the formation of groups to solve a particular problem in a real world context, and requires that the participants put forward their point of view and then negotiate, listen, debate and finally reach consensus on a solution to a problem. This constructivist type of learning is considered to be an effective means of knowledge building and can be done in a computer-supported environment. This can be achieved either synchronously or asynchronously and involves the group working together to achieve a given task using appropriate online tools.

There are three components to this weeks lesson:
  1. three readings,
  2. job title inclusion in wiki table
  3. synchronous online meeting - Wed 11th May at 5.00pm

See procedure below for detailed requirements and access to links.
This lesson should take 1-2 hours of reading and preparation time and 1-2 hours of synchronous online meeting time.

OBJECTIVES
As a result of participation in this lesson students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a deep understanding of problem and learner centred instructional strategy and the opportunities offered through peer collaboration.
  2. Discuss the main issues of problem and learner centred instructional strategy and review peer opinion and solutions to questions posed as part of the lesson.
  3. Apply ideas developed to real world problem-centred instructional strategy.
  4. Identify the advantages of establishing and managing good online learning communities.
  5. Evaluate the use of Wikis as a valuable resource for collaborative learning.

PROCEDURES

  • This weeks lesson will be synchronous. We will meet in Adobe Connect on Wedneday 11th May at 5.00pm. Please join this meeting by cutting and pasting the following link into your web browser, and then signing in as a guest, using your full name.

Please join me in a Connect Pro Meeting.
Meeting Name: week 10 -CSCL lesson
Invited By: Serena Gilligan (sgil4980@uni.sydney.edu.au)
When: 05/11/2011 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Time Zone: (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

To join the meeting:
http://webconf.ucc.usyd.edu.au/week10cscllesson/


  • You will be placed in groups for our online discussion based on similar job titles/roles. As a result we would like you to include your job title in the table provided in the following wikispace:

http://edpc5003-assess.wikispaces.com/CSCL+group+assignment



  • There are three readings associated with this weeks discussion that will need to be read prior to the wednesday night discussion group. Please see resources below for links to all three readings.



RESOURCES
Merrill, D., Gilbert, C. (2008). Effective peer interaction in a problem-centered instructional strategy, Distance Education. 29(2). 199-207.
merrill article

Rosenberg, M. (2006). Learning through online collaboration. From beyond e-learning : approaches and technologies to enhance organizational knowledge, learning, and performance.
Rosenburg article

Larusson, J. (2009). Wiki’s to support the ‘collaborative’ part of collaborative learning. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning.4(4).371-402.
**http://tinyurl.com/3ub933n**


INTERACTIONS
This weeks lesson will be a series of discussion questions/problems based on the three readings. We will be utilising some of the techniques from the readings in the way we design the groups and facilitate the discussion. The discussions will occur in Adobe connect break out groups and then evaluated through chat as a main group.

DISCUSSION
There will be three questions proposed. One based on each of the readings. You will be provided with enough time to collaborate with your group in discussing and solving any problems and will then be brought back into the main group for reflection and evaluation of each problem.

SUMMARY
Effective peer interaction in a problem-centred instructional Strategy
- M. D. Merrill & C. G. Gilbert (2008)
· Learner centred – guided, carefully sequenced progression of problems. Students taught component skills and progress through to solving real-world tasks.
· Problem centred – minimal guidance in problem solving.
· Peer learning - students teach and learn from each other. Works best when provided with scaffolding, structured questions and evaluation rubrics.
· Peer interaction in a problem-centred approach – activation, demonstration and application allows mental models with peer interaction and integration. Requires deeper processing and more careful examination of assumptions.
· Peer integration without progression of problems – requires associative memory much like the dissemination of information not linked to the activation of mental models.
· Progression of real-world problems – far more effective when peers interact to solve a progression of real-world problems. Allows learners to adapt mental models to new problems and peer critique causes more flexibility and fine-tuning.
· Activation principle – learners activate previously acquired schema.
· Demonstration principle – learners see the solution of complex tasks through guidance and posed questions.
· Application principle – learners apply gained knowledge and skills to solve new complex, ill-structured problems.
· Integration principle – constructive peer criticism recommending possible improvements.

Additional readings:


  • Stahl, G., Koschmann, T., & Suthers, D. (2006). Computer-supported collaborative learning: An historical perspective. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 409-426). Cambridge, UK:
    Cambridge University Press. Available at:
    http://GerryStahl.net/cscl/CSCL_English.pdf